Monday, August 27, 2012

Fun For Whom?

I drive my students crazy.I know I do.And this is why.Student: Is this right?Me: What do you think?Student: I don’t know.Me: Well, how did you get your answer?Student: I just did what you showed me before.Me: Ok, but what does that look like for this problem?Student: (utterly exasperated) Why can’t you ever just say yes or no?

Me:
(to myself) Because saying yes or no is the easy route and you deserve
better than that from me. Because doing so discourages analytical
thought and makes you dependent on the approval of others. Because this
is the one thing I can do to ensure you develop confidence in your own
problem solving abilities. Because this tiresome process is my gift to
you; you just don’t know it yet.

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About the Author

Colleen King is a math educator with 15 years experience working with K-12 students in a variety of settings. Colleen publishes MathPlayground.com and develops math games, teaching tools, and learning resources that are used in classrooms throughout the world. She has presented her work at ISTE and NCTM conferences and has co-authored several teaching articles.